


Chapter 4: Let's Talk Over Dinner

by BadgersQueen



Series: On The Road [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2014-08-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 06:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2099205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadgersQueen/pseuds/BadgersQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meredith finds herself thrown into a world of demons, angels, monsters and everything she'd believed to be actually real. With an unexpected companionship with the demon, Crowley, she finds that survival isn't the only thing she's going to get a lesson in...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chapter 4: Let's Talk Over Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> Most of the chapters are done in my OC's POV. (Will be stated otherwise).
> 
> Meredith is my OC & belongs to me.
> 
> Crowley & all things Supernatural do not belong to me.

I poked my head around the corner of the hallway. Watching as the two demons near the exit talked among themselves. After what felt like fifteen minutes, they both checked their watches and moved on. I clapped my hand on Growly and quietly pointed to the door. The invisible dog just panted in a low breath and nearly dragged me towards the door to which I indicated. I had to hold onto the leash for fear of being nearly thrown off my feet. The dog seemed excited about going outside and luckily it didn't howl or bark. I had a few minutes to get the door open and get out. After a few minutes we were both out on the darkened grounds of the large house. My breath rose into the air and I panted. Feeling shaky and anxious. I pulled something out of the pocket of my jacket. It was a lid to a small Ben and Jerry's container. 

"Alright boy, smell this. Got the scent?" I asked, holding the lid out in front of him. He sniffed it and I could smell his breath as he tried to lick it and gave a low bark. "Good boy", I patted him, "It's ice cream. We're going on a supply run. But we gotta be-"

Growly barked loudly, cutting me off and then took off, pulling me with him. "-Quiet!" I nearly yelled as I held tightly to the leash, my boots sliding along the wet grass. I shoved the ice cream lid into my pocket so I could hold the leash with both hands. I knew I looked weird nearly falling down the street while holding onto the leash but I figured if hounds could follow scents, so could hell hounds, right?

A few hours later, I was hoping against hope the large dog wouldn't bark as we entered the mansion. I was clutching the leash with one hand, my other hand holding a plastic bag. There were no signs of the two demons who normally were stationed at the end of the hallway. I supposed that was good. I smiled with relief and looked down at the dog. 

"Well, that was-"

"Close?" A voice spoke up, cutting me off.

I turned to see Crowley standing there, a knife in hand. Following the point of the knife, I saw the two bodies of the demons. Crowley looked fixated and ready to stab something. He didn't look too happy either. He pointed the knife at me, gesturing the blade in such a way that looked as though he were wagging his finger. 

"You really didn't think I would notice my dog was gone? Or you for that matter?" He asked, "I had to kill two of my men because they couldn't keep their bloody eyes on you for two seconds. And you are without a doubt a crafty woman, sneaking out for ice cream", he looked impressed, admiring his knife. He took out a napkin from one of his pockets and cleaned it off, "If you do try that again, I'll have you chained to my desk", he smiled. And then pointed back to the study, "I wouldn't fill up on ice cream though, we have reservations".

I took the leash off of the dog and then followed Crowley back into his office. Growly padded beside me and then went off to sit in the corner. Crowley took the bag from me and tossed into the fire place, watching it burn. I wanted to say something about that costing me the last of my spare cash but I bit my tongue and sat down. He stowed away the blade he'd used on the demons and stood against the piece of furniture.

"To where exactly?" I asked, though my tone annoyed that he had thrown away my only source of food that I had wanted.

"I'm taking you into a demons nest", He replied, "You're more help to me out there then you are here. And by the looks of things, you've trained my dog better than Sherlock Holmes can train his", he tilted his head a little.

"A month of me sitting around, finding dead ends on angel lore and demons and you've suddenly decided I'm useful?" I wanted to know.

"You shot a man in the leg to save my life", Crowley looked at me, "I find that pretty useful. Though, you look like you live on the streets of London", he nodded to my knitted hat, boots, leggings, skirt, t-shirt and jacket, "Don't have any magic slippers in that duffle bag do you?" He joked. 

"You want me to get dressed up to go see demons?" I frowned.

"No, I want you to teach a blind student to drive", He answered sarcastically, "And if you don't get ready now, I will drag you by your ankles". 

I didn't retort back and just nodded, "I do have something but it's not exactly from last years magazine", I sighed, "What's got you in a mood anyway?"

"Lilith is upset about something and she took it out on a bunch of demons not even worth killing", Crowley told me, "My boss is very touchy", he made a face of annoyance. 

"Maybe you should run hell then", I took a stab at who this Lilith was and shrugged, "I mean I don't know if she does run hell or not but I'm just saying", I waved my hands and went up to him, putting my hands on his shoulders, "I'll be back in ten minutes. Have a drink", I smiled, grabbing my duffle bag and then left the room. Growley padding after me. 

Crowley just stood there stunned and somewhat intrigued before getting himself a drink. Upstairs I left the large hound out in the hallway while I busied myself in the bathroom. What I carried with me wasn't exactly high in fashion but it was dressy enough I figured. I stripped of everything except my underwear and put on a black dress. It had no sleeves and was about the length my thigh. I pulled on black pantyhose and then placed a knife holder around my upper thigh, slipping a small pocket knife out of my bag. I concealed the weapon under my dress. I put on black shoes, no heel or otherwise I would break my neck. And in any case, I figured if we had to run, heels were a bad option in general. Taking off my knitted hat, I took out some hair barrettes. I curled my hair into a low bun so most of it was sitting against my right shoulder. I put the barrettes in, holding it in place. The only thing I didn't have was jewelry but I didn't wear any and found it unnecessary. 

No make up, no jewelry but it didn't matter. Shoving my only clothes into the duffle bag, I kicked the bag into the corner and opened the door. The hell hound greeted me. I smiled a little and patted his head before going back down stairs. I walked into the study, the hound at my heels. I was pushing my hair behind my ears a little and didn't notice the look on Crowley's face. When I glanced up, he was staring at me and I couldn't quite read his expression. I flushed and tried not to act as though I gotten dressed up for whatever it was we were doing. I felt more exposed than usual and a bit uncomfortable but I tried to hide it. 

"Won't the boys back at home be jealous", Crowley chuckled, smiling, "You should wear that more often".

My face flushed brightly but I said nothing. As our per-usual when leaving, I took his arm and found myself not getting anymore used to the jolting sensation of travel. We were in a busy part of some high-end restaurant location. There were places to eat up and down the streets for blocks. People were passing us on foot or getting into cars. Crowley turned to me and handed me something.

"I'll get us a table", He smiled and before I could blink, he was gone.

I stared down at my hands and noticed it was a piece of paper with our dinner reservations on it. Dinner? I looked around and realized I was standing in front of some elegant, quiet looking place with an Italian name I couldn't pronounce.

"This is a demon's nest?" I thought, not sure if this was a joke or not.

Sighing at the fact I was actually going through with this, I went in. Realizing right now that the guy at the podium was probably a demon and probably wouldn't allow me entrance into the place nor actually believe me that I was having dinner with the king of the crossroads.

"Nobody would believe I was having dinner with Crowley", I told myself, "I really hope this isn't a date", though part of me felt pretty lucky if it was one. I hadn't been lucky with guys in general my whole life. "Here goes nothing". What else did I have to lose?

I walked up to the podium and the guy's eyes turned to a solid black for a moment before going back to normal. He gave me a small smile and held out his hand. I handed him the piece of paper and he frowned, looking between me and the piece of paper after a few minutes or so. 

"You're with Crowley?" He asked.

"I'm his secretary", I smiled.

He didn't look too convinced. And I could tell. They were liars after all. 

"I'm new", I shrugged, trying to keep an innocent face.

He still didn't look too convinced. I just smiled and walked up to the podium, doing the nearest dangerous thing that I had ever done and grabbed the guy by the tie. Demon or not, I knew if I didn't do something, he wasn't going to let me past the first table. I gave him a look.

"What are you going to do to me? Do my make up?" He asked, trying to be intimidating. 

"Any other given day I would be running from you assholes but I have a table to get to. So you either let me through or I'll let Crowley deal with you and I'm sure you love being topside rather than being in hell. So your choice. You deal with me or you deal with him", I muttered.

The demon in the meat suit didn't look too pleased but pushed me away and straightened himself. He gestured with his arm to let me go through. I took a deep breath and went into the next room which was full of tables and booths. Crowley was already sitting in a booth and waved at me from near the back. Trying to act calm, I smiled a little and walked over, sitting down a second later. 

"Trouble getting past the front door I take it?" He asked. 

"I handled it", I told him, folding my arms on the table, "So why are we here? This doesn't look like a demon's nest".

Crowley smiled, "Several heads of demon nests are sitting around us. The humans don't realize they're dinning with us", he shrugged, "We're here because I need to hear the gossip. The latest news".

"The guy at the front podium was one", I pointed out, "They're heads must have their bodyguards all over this place".

"Well then, shall we?" He asked, passing me a menu.

For some reason, I couldn't help but smile as I took the menu he was offering me. The room felt like it was too warm for some reason. I flushed and tried to hide it as I took a look at the menu. Actual food. Date or not, I was getting a free meal. The waitress came and Crowley ordered us drinks. I heard him ordering me a glass of white wine and I glanced up from the menu.

"That's what you want isn't it?" He wanted to know.

I just nodded. Biting my tongue. Feeling awkward but really wanting to know his true intentions. Whether it was to find out what the latest gossip among his people or not, I couldn't help but take it out of context. We were having dinner while spying. It was clear as day but part of me really didn't want to admit it. Maybe he didn't either. I finally shut the menu and turned to him.

"So what are we really doing here? Other than getting the latest intell?" I wanted to know.

"Is that slang for asking if we're on a date?" Crowley asked, raising an eyebrow.

I felt stupid and flushed, "I was just making sure it wasn't anything else", I wished then I hadn't said anything. Just let the situation happen. Just let tonight happen. Just eat a meal in peace but no. I had to put my foot in my mouth. 

He put down his menu, bored with it and just folded his hands on top of it. He waited until the waitress set our drinks down and went away again. He then turned to me and smiled. He picked up his drink and took a sip, swirling the ice. "Think of it however you want", He casually stated. 

I wasn't expecting him to, right then, reach across the table and take my hand. Clasping mine in between his fingers. My whole body seemed to freeze but feel warm at the same time. I couldn't help but meet his eyes and smile. And part of me saw why he had done this. A couple had walked passed us and Crowley had seemingly decided to play it for show. But part of me really didn't think that. He didn't immediately let go. While he wasn't looking, I found myself entwining my fingers with his and holding his hand back. He turned back to me, feeling my hand against his. His brown eyes met my gray ones. Cupping my hand in his, he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed the top of it. Just a small, brush. Nothing more. When he brought our hands back to the table, neither of us really let go. At first. My cheeks flushed brightly and I realized what I was doing.

"Sorry", I apologized, reluctantly but slowly drawing my hand away. 

He just smiled and raised his glass to me. I returned to looking at the menu and nearly thanked god when the waitress returned to take our order. Crowley waved his hand, excusing himself from eating. Lying about already having a late lunch.

"But my companion here would love to dine on whatever is you serve", He stated, eyes turning on me, that knowing smile on his face, "Order whatever you'd like love. The chef owes me a favor and a soul at midnight", he added this last statement under his breath.

I smiled at the waitress and ordered something small. My appetite had somehow lessened and I wasn't feeling that hungry. I sipped at my wine and glanced around. Crowley reached over the table and took my hand again, making me jump.

"Tell me about yourself", He commented.

"Are we still pretending?" I wanted to know, eyeing his hand on mine.

"Being polite", Crowley replied, "Something human males seemed to be incapable of doing". 

"Well, I'm in my mid-twenties, I like movies and nerdy stuff like conventions and", I paused, "You probably already know all about that", I eyed him with a slight smile.

"My aren't we perceptive", Crowley smiled, "I had a friend do a little digging on you. Darling you're every man's secret dream. You think your not something special but you've obviously proved them wrong".

I laughed, possibly because the awkward feeling of the conversation was too much, "Thank you. I'll take the compliment", I shook my head, "I'm nothing special. I'm just me".

"Are you sure about that?" Crowley asked.

I wasn't sure what he meant but the waitress brought me my food. Crowley excused himself while I ate and didn't return until I was done. Crowley smoothed down his front and resumed sitting at the table and acting as though he'd only gone to the bathroom. I curiously raised an eyebrow.

"Owed you that favor huh?" I asked, smiling and drank the last bit of wine in my glass.

"He didn't go quietly", He chuckled, picking up his drink and sipping it, "I'll just put this on my tab", he made a face, gesturing to my meal.

"But we didn't do anything. We didn't find out anything", I exclaimed. 

"I found out all I needed to know", Crowley waved his hand, "You played your part very well", he nodded at me. 

I made a face but said nothing. Instead, I folded my napkin and placed it on the table. We both rose from our seats and walked out together. Not making it past the door before reappearing in the study. 

"So, I was just your date so you could torture some chef who owed you a soul?" I asked, waving my hands.

"Not just my date. Your very good dinner company", Crowley stated, "Plus, I got the number of some trade expert who collects valuable goods and sells them", he waved a piece of paper in his hand, "Bela Talbot. She has something I want. What all demons would want". 

"What's that exactly?" I wanted to know, crossing my arms and looking intrigued.

"Not sure", he made a face, "Ever heard the name of Samuel Colt?" He asked. 

"No", I shook my head.

"Well if you'd be a dear and research him for me, I'll let you walk my dog for ice cream", Crowley said, placing the piece of paper in his pocket.

"I'll get on that tomorrow", I decided, "And...thank you for dinner".

Crowley smiled, "Your not bad for a human, Meredith", he paused thinking, putting his hands in his jacket pockets, "Your worth more than your own soul".

"Why's that?" I couldn't help but laugh.

"Cause your with me, that's why", Crowley stated, turning and whistling, getting his dog's attention before leaving the room.

After getting back into my normal clothes and curling up on the couch in the study, I stared up at the ceiling. Crowley had left an hour ago now and I couldn't quite fall asleep. I was slowly getting there though. A small chunk of me wanted to try to call Castiel in a dream but I had realized the third or so night, which was a month ago or so now, that there must be something keeping him out because he could not come. But I knew I didn't want anyone to find me. Not really. Part of it was to protect Crowley. He wasn't hurting me or keeping me here. He said I could walk out if I wanted to. But things were going on in the world. Horrible things.

"Since when did you start trusting what he says?" A small voice in my head spoke up.

"Since surviving is my only option. I'm safe, I have a place to sleep. It's the only thing I have", I told myself.

By the time I dosed off, the large hell hound had entered the room, padding over and sniffing my face. The dog seemed to realize I was asleep and it just laid down by the couch. I rolled over in my sleep and shivered under the couple of blankets I was using. Crowley came into the room and turned up the heat so I wasn't cold. Looking satisfied, he sat down in one of the chairs. His mind on the evening from earlier. When I woke up some hours later, it was still dark out but he was still there, sitting in the chair. Staring out towards the window. My face softened watching him. I smiled to myself and returned to sleeping. 

The only vague dream I had was of myself standing on a bridge, over looking a river. And when I looked over, Crowley was standing next to me. Looking out in the same direction. The world was silent and a shooting star fell across the darkened sky. As soon as I looked at the star, Crowley took my hand. For a moment, for a quick second, I thought I saw Castiel out of the corner of my eye. But when I glanced, nothing was there. 

When I awoke from the dream, I felt my heart beating quickly. The room was still dark. I sleepily checked my phone. It was about five in the morning. I sighed, ready to go back to sleep. I didn't nod back off till about six.


End file.
